iHeartRadio Music Festival Daytime stage is back! Saturday ,September 18, 2021 was a day for the books; it was filled with loads of fun and music. This year’s Festival’s Daytime Stage was at a new outdoor venue at AREA15. The lineup of artists were: 24kGoldn, Russell Dickerson, Tate Mcrae, Conan Gray, Gabby Barrett, YUNGBLUD, All Time Low, Saweetie, The Kid Laroi, and Olivia Rodrigo. 

The Daytime venue was packed with people from in and out of state. The day started at 11:00 am, but doors opened at 10:00 am. Many people were in line as early as 7:00 am. It was hectic getting into the festival because you had to either show proof of your Covid-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.

Each artist had a ten minute set, so each performer sang around four to six songs each. There were twenty minutes in between each set to change bands and set the stage up for the next person. 

24kGOLDN performed first. 24kGOLDN was wearing a maroon muscle tank that said “all the beauty that we see is heaven’s gift to u from me”. He sang many of his hits: “COCO,” “Mood,” “CITY OF ANGELS,” and “Valentino.” GOLDN was very interactive with the crowd, throwing water, giving high fives to fans, and talking to them after every song. He said that it was his first time in Vegas, so he was struggling with the heat. 

Russell Dickerson came on next with a genuine energy from the get go. He started off his set with “Every Little Thing.”  

Tate Mcrae understood that she had to bring a lot of energy to the stage after Russell Dickerson and 24kGOLDN. She came out with three backup dancers. She sang a few of her hits: “you broke me first,” “that way,” “stupid,” “all my friends are fake.” She shocked the crowd with her killer dance moves. Like many artists, she mentioned that it was hot and told the crowd to make sure they were drinking water. 

Olivia Holt introduced Conan Gray. He came out with the most enthusiasm. He started off with high energy performing “Maniac.” He was super interactive with the crowd, talking to them and using sarcasm to make them laugh and get excited for his next song. 

Before Gray started his next song he asked the crowd if he could “make it immediately depressing” and sang the song he wrote for his best friend “Astronomy.” During his performance he made many people shed tears because of his pure talent and melancholic lyrics. In addition to these songs, he sang “People Watching” and fan favorite “Heather.”

Gabby Barrett had a great set, even though no one knew she was coming on because she wasn’t announced. 

YUNGBLUD came running onto the stage with the biggest personality. The whole time YUNGBLUD was on stage he couldn’t hear himself in his ears, but he didn’t let the technical difficulties ruin his set at all; he rocked it nonetheless. YUNGBLUD was jumping up and down and blowing tons of kisses to his fans. He even taught the crowd the chorus of  “fleabag” before the song played. He sang some of his most popular songs: “parents,” “I Think I’m OKAY feat. Machine Gun Kelly,” “strawberry lipstick,” “I Love You, Will You Marry Me,” and his new song “ fleabag.”

Saweetie was next; she came on fifteen minutes late because her wardrobe didn’t show up. She was given the choice not to come on due to the complication, but she still went on. She was wearing a black crop top, black jeggings, and UGG fuzzy slippers. She sang many of her hits that blew up on TikTok including “My Type,” “Tap In,” “Talkin’ Bout,” and “Best Friend feat. Doja Cat.”

“I’ll show up for you, period!” Saweetie said as soon as she stepped on stage. 

The kid LAROI was next. He performed so many good songs: ”ALWAYS DO”,”STAY ft. Justin Beiber’,’ “WITHOUT YOU,” “NOT SOBER,” and “GO.” He had great energy, bouncing around the stage and talking to his fans. He was very interactive with the crowd, even though you could tell they were a little worn out and just waiting for Olivia Rodrigo. 

The last performance of the day was Olivia Rodrigo. She was introduced by Asher Angel and Mario Lopez. She came out super excited and sang “brutal” off her new album “SOUR.” The crowd really showed her love by singing her songs at full volume. She then sang “jealousy, jealousy” and “traitor.” After the two songs, she introduced herself to the crowd and explained why she felt so loved, especially since it was her first show ever. 

During the bridge of “drivers license”, beautiful purple butterfly confetti was released and really awed the crowd. She finished her set with the hit song “good 4 u”. During her whole set, you could barely hear her because the crowd was so loud. 

Palo Verde Senior Lauren Willey said, “It was exciting and hype, and Olivia Rodrigo is my queen.”   

Sophomore Avery Borg said, “It was a surreal experience. I had an amazing time and it’s something I will remember forever.”